Day 219

Fresh Start_219:  The NFL’s New Year’s Resolution
As the owners’ meetings come to a close, the NFL has pumped out their version of a “New Year’s Resolution” with their annual rule changes. There are some new notable rule changes that can attempt to speed up the game and make it safer for their players.

The rule change that is driving this years’ changes is the rule change policy is now “not being able to jump the pile or ‘leap’ over the pile to block an extra point or field goal.” Before this year, it was a penalty to touch the center on your way over the pile, but now it will just result in a penalty. I personally don’t get the rule change because of the NFL’s want to make extra points and field goals “more exciting.” The health of the players could be at risk if the player who leaps over the line hits anyone on the offensive line, but that doesn’t normally happen. The players that leap over the line are most likely the most athletic player on the defense and they have the ability to do it. Also, how many kicks do you see get block by someone coming off the edge? The answer to that question is not many. What this rule change does is make it harder to play defense—giving them a harder draw the kicking team. This rule change is also meant to “speed up” the game, which is something that the NFL is getting anal about, and for good reason. However, this rule change is not needed.

The next rule change is “any team that commits multiple penalties on the same play will have a 15-yard penalty against them, and the game clock will be restored not running off.” The example that is the best to explain this rule is if every receiver was getting held by the defense, not allowing the quarterback to throw for a completion. Before this year, the rule would be the defense would take the 5-yard penalty so the clock would run off. This will penalize the defense for “manipulating” the clock as the NFL put it.

Next up on the ducat for the NFL is penalizing players for hitting a player “very egregiously.” The rule will now be “a player will be suspended for their next game, regardless if it is a first offense.” The point of emphasis will not change, along with the penalty given for unnecessary roughness. This rule change is defiantly to make the game safer the players. This rule will also make the game better from a technique perspective, with the way players tackle. With this change, players will hopefully “rap-up” more.   

The final rule change is one that brings the NFL further into the 20th Century. The replay system will now “fall on the Senior Vice President of Officiating Dean Blanino for the final call. The referees will also be looking at the play using wireless headsets and tablets.” This is rule change needed to happen because something everyone in and around the NFL can agree on is bettering the replay system. I will be interested to see how much of a difference this makes for replay.
Sources:(espn.com, nfl.com)
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